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Haha, yeah, EA is trash and decided to take their own games to a program referred to as Origin, not to be mistaken for the game. It's a buggy mess, rife with issues. And it's also the only place you can currently get DA2 and Inquisition, the latter having to be played with some gods-awful online mode to get any of your choices to even coalesce.

Bleh.

That's a damn shame, cause I don't buy games that have to be played online...I know they tried to do that with the last SimCity and I never bought it for that reason. I may now that they put it back in, but it's just the principle of the matter. I shouldn't have to be online to play a game, unless it's a MMO or multiplayer.

I prefer the PS4 version of DA Inquisition anyways.  I've heard the PC version is buggy (like games nowadays normally are), and the PS3 version is not bad, but the graphics jump between consoles alone is surprisingly large, at least it seems like it to me.

I think stilted fits DA2's description perfectly.

Pros:
*I loved the changed battle system, especially with how powerful mages now are compared to DA:O
*The improved speech system is much welcome.  I like knowing what kind of effect my different dialogue choices will have, and being able to actually hear the main character talk is a plus as well.
*The pumped up graphics were a welcome change as well.  Not that Origins wasn't pretty, but DA2 was a big step up.
*DA2 had some very memorable characters attached to it. Origins had a couple, but I feel like DA2 was very much more focused on character development, regardless of the slimmed down approval system.

Cons:
*Remember how I mention the slimmed down approval system?  Yeah...well talking outside of a character's "home" area (pretty much similar to talking to them in camp in Origins) is out of the question.  Gifts are also pretty much gone aside from finding specific items that belong to characters (such as a bow that belonged to one of the characters' family members).
*The biggest gripe people have is the fact that they rehash the hell out of areas.  You'll visit the same cave level 50000 times, even though it's supposedly supposed to be a different area each time.  This happens with many areas, not just the cave.
*I recall another gripe being an equally slimmed down level up system.  Whereas in Origins you leveled up attributes, skills, and spells/talents, in DA2 they integrated skills into attributes (IE, every 10 points in cunning increases lock picking skills).
*Another gripe people have is that it virtually has nothing to do with the story from origins...aside from main narrative moments near the beginning.  It's more of a setup for Inquisition rather than building on anything that Origins did.  Aside from a couple of familiar characters, DA2 is its own separate story from Origins regardless of being a sequel.

So far I'm also very impressed with Inquisition, though I'm not without my gripes about it too.  Particularly the even more stripped down level up system (Now you only level up your spells/talents).  I'm also slightly disappointed that, like with DA2, we're down to one specific beginning story compared to Origins' 6 different beginning stories (especially since there's more potential routes they could have gone having 4 races and 3 classes).  At the same time though, I'm enjoying in particular that Inquisition is much larger as was advertised, and it feels much more open even though you still fast travel to many areas.  But even the first area you travel to (not the beginning area/town) is gigantic.

And you don't have to play it online, it's just usually preferred.  I tend to stay offline for it for the PS4...but if I want to make a new game with an altered Dragon's Keep story (IE: You go to that site, can alter every little story event and their outcome for each game on their "tapestries," and can export that to Inquisition so that the little conversations and the like that people have with you and the things you see/hear about/etc... revolve around that), then I have to be online for it to see the exported file.

(author post not to be taken as RP character)

I am a bit saddened in dragon age inquisition about a few trivial things...

1. Darkspawn are still not as brutal as in origins (Da2 kind of toned them down a bit compared to how epic they looked in origins(besides

Spoiler

corphyeus

)

2. Approval is invisible so i have no clue if someone hates me and they are forced to cooperate with me (Ex. Cassandra)

3. some camp fast travels are spaced oddly apart or to close to one another making some treks very annoying while others extremely trivial.

4. worlds open for exploration yet not a single good map online that you can use for collectible gathering (because being a completionist is hell)

5. a non-levelbalanceing  bianca for varic (I know there are upgrades but i am not one with a lot of coin to buy the blueprints( yet i am saddly the one who was tempted by the mystery box))

6. some quests broken (lovers quest in hinderlands)



Besides that i am enjoying the game so far sucking all my time away from other things.


Also a bit of a tip for anyone who dose not know (

Spoiler

At the war table and hate waiting for the mission to finish....exit out of the war table, pause the game, go to the consoles clock and just set it days in the future....the war table will be clear in no time

)


( handy guide to war table missions for anyone who wants to copy and paste it since i am to lazy link the page due to needing to return to game...)

http://dragonage3.wiki.fextralife.com/War+Table

I have been playing Crusader Kings 2, and when I finished that time line I exported my game to Europa Universalis 4. I am having a blast.

I started as the King of Castille-Leon. I don't remember the name (I think it was Enrique). Both him and his son (who I think was Enrique II) managed to conquer Aragon and Navarra by ~1210. Alfonso I Alfonsez D'Ivrea became the first emperor of Hispania. This begun the great Castillan dynasty D'Ivrea. Emperors Alfonso I, II, Fernando I, II, and III continued to unify Spain, but could not do it totally as the Muslim force was too great, and the Portuguese were too resistant. Fernando III had two sons and a daughter. His second son died of consumption as a young child, and his older son was assassinated shortly after being named duke of a small pocket of Spain. Due to this, his daughter, HRH Saint Berenguela I "the Great" (yes all of these epitaphs actually apply) was destined to rule Hispania. Her fifty year rule has been argued by historians as one of the greatest in Spanish history. During her reign, the Muslims were expelled from Andalusia and that kingdom was claimed by Berenguela, and then bestowed upon the fiercest duke that fought against them, King Rodrigo I of Andalusia. She also managed to take certain critical duchies from the Portuguese that would set up the eventual conquer of Portugal. During her reign, Pope Sixtus IV (who in this history was a pope in the 1300s.) called for a conquest of Lithuania, which at the time had been occupied by pagan heathens. Filled with religious zeal, Berenguela agreed to assist the Holy Father in ridding loyal Lithuanian catholics of their pagan disease. For her vital contributions, Pope Sixtus crowned Berenguela as Queen of Lithuania. ten years later, Berenguela passed through this realm into the kingdom of heaven. She was an incredible Empress, loved by her people and feared by her enemies. She held incredible power, and some historians have called her the most powerful woman in world history.

She married a member of the wealthy Orsini family, and her son Enrique I Bassez D'Ivrea became Emperor. He was known as Enrique the Merry, yet incidentally died of extreme depression in his late fifties. Similarly incidentally, his son Enrique II also died of depression in his thirties. After both of these unfortunate and untimely deaths, a new hero of Hispania came forth. Emperor Oveco I "Ironsides." He followed in his great grandmother's footsteps. He led numerous defenses against the Muslims attempting to come over the Strait of Gibraltar to retake Andalusia and Aragon. Using the few counties and duchies that Berenguela herself conquered from Portugal, Oveco Ironside expoited the weakness of Portugal after an attack by the Moors. After a long and arduous campaign, he had done it. He had fulfilled the destiny of his house, he had unified Iberia under the crown of Hispania. During the rest of Oveco's reign, he quelled more than four major rebellions, one of which required him personally to trek across France, Germany, and Poland to Lithuania to stop the Lithuanian Pagans from rebelling. It is during this that he received the epitaph Ironside. Oveco's son was Henrique III. Due to the shifting geopolitical powers, France, England, and Poland swiftly equivocated power with Spain, so Spain was not the forefront of power in Europe anymore. Oveco's grandson, Sanç I inherited both the Scottish and the Spanish thrones, as the house D'Ivrea in fact controlled, in different branches, the thrones of Scotland, Spain, and Norway. Sanç allied himself with Poland, Sicily, and Norway. Sanç was a successful warrior-king, and managed to expand Spain's territory in Lithuania, not without the help of Poland. Upon the death of Sanç, Oveco II became Emperor of Spain. Spain's presence in Lithuania continued to expand, and Spain was called in on the winning side of wars with France and England, asserting Spain's dominance over the rest of the civilized world. During Oveco II's reign, Empress Berenguela was 200 years posthumously declared a Saint of the Holy Mother Church by Pope Alain I. Berenguela's memory lived on in Oveco II's daughter, Berenguela II.

I read CK2 playthroughs like that and it sounds so impressive. I've wanted to get into that game, but I'd need more time I think...I almost decided to do CK2 instead of DA:O during my vacation last month.

CK2 is amazing. It's actually better than EU4.

I can't wait for HoI4, provided it's actually learnable and not so OCD.

You know what would rock my boat?

CK2 > EU4 > Vicky3 > HoI4 save converters.

BRING IT

(So i got a good bit (3/4ths) through DAI when the following happened)

Spoiler

I had brought home morrigan when i noticed she did not have a old god baby, I passed this off considering it to be a bug...

Then she mentioned my warden died fighting the arch-demon....

I said to myself this must be a killer bug...

and then it hit me like a bomb....

Oh the warden was a nice Dalish elf woman...

At this point i Flipped my @#$@ So angry my work had all been for nothing.

it only brings me to tears more when i consider i sent 116 hour playing it since it came out...

That is 4.3 days in game....

I am breaking down over this and must begin anew...

So a lesson for everyone here who sees this post, if you go on to dragon age keep do not alter the defult world state rather make a new one for all your choices never matter... 

I am off to cry myself to sleep...or get drunk whatever makes me feel better.

CK2 is amazing. It's actually better than EU4.

I can't wait for HoI4, provided it's actually learnable and not so OCD.

You know what would rock my boat?

CK2 > EU4 > Vicky3 > HoI4 save converters.

BRING IT

Never played nor can afford CK II.

I am playing mainly on Destiny right now, trying to level up characters,  and trying to complete Warface for Xbox 360 before the servers shut down 1 Feb.  Crytek appatently failef at making FTP games.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 via Tapatalk

Crytek fails at making any game. Far Cry 1 was good...up until the fucking aliens who ruined all the best parts of the game.

I'll admit it was better than Ubisoft's shit, though.

I didn't play FC2.

FC3 sucked too. I hated how it held your hand all the time. "DON'T FORGET YOUR MISSION! GO THERE!" The story was hilariously stupid and scaredy teenager turning into badass killer makes no sense.

The only good mission in that game was the one where you take shrooms. Maybe also the one where you burn all the weed.

Didn't play FC4.

I hated how it held your hand all the time.

I think this has become a new standard for games these days.  If a game suddenly drops you into action without any tutorial or guidance (you know, how games back in the day did it), then people rage about how they're being thrown into a game with no help.

Hell, take a game that's been around for years like Legend of Zelda.  It's always been a story driven game, but it's been getting progressively more into the hand holding stages (using only the console ones as an example):

*The original popped you onto the map with no explanation as to why you were even there or what to do.  You had to guess to go into the cave right next to you to get your sword, and the only thing to give you an idea of where things were at was the game's manual.

*Adventures of Link did the same thing - popped you right into the beginning area with no explanation to the new controls/style, no idea for the story (unless you read the manual).  It was a little more restricted in the map sense, but it still had similar feel since you could run into enemies at any time on the maps and dungeons (and even in some towns).

*Link to the Past introduced the game with a backstory and beginning story, but still gave you very little hints as to how to do things.  You had to learn the controls yourself and go from there.  It had fast travel options as well in the form of the ocarina, but that was something you had to find yourself and would have been very easy to miss until it became important (IE getting to Misery Mire).  It also introduced not only the concept of two overworlds, but having to transition between them at the right moments with little guidance.  The only "guide" you had to help you out in the games was in the form of sage Whats-his-face if you clicked on the little metal boxes found in parts of the dungeons, but those as well were limited in both number and the help that you received.

*Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask introduced something new in the form of a companion that is with you 24/7.  Suddenly, you're getting told where you need to go, and what buttons you need to press for everything.  It also introduced a more complicated form of LTTP's Ocarina/Flute in which you had to press different buttons to play different songs.  Songs were used in many different situations, fast travel, changing the weather (either for story progression or for the lulz), opening new areas, and calling your horse (another new feature to get to areas faster).

*Windwaker had the above mentioned in the form of the King of Red Lions as well as Tetra's necklace, as well as easier ways to access pretty much everywhere at anytime, though without the feel of being really open like LoZ was.  It also kept the Instrument element in the form of the Conductor's Baton, which felt a little simplified in moments because you weren't putting as much effort as you were with the ocarina (wasn't it limited to less notes?).  Songs were used for fast travel mainly as well as story progression, though one of the most used songs was for changing wind direction when you were sailing.

*Twilight Princess took a step back towards Ocarina of Time days. Still having a companion following you all the time and telling you how to do everything, though unlike Navi, Midna was actually a bigger part of the story.  Like the above, Twilight Princess also kept the "instrument" feature in the form of Wolf-form howls.  This was almost as simplified as the Conductor's Rod, because if I remember correctly, you're confined to moving up and down and matching the pitch.  While a tiny bit more complicated than the Conductor's Baton, it's not very much.  Songs were only ever used to make remnants appear to teach you a new technique.

*Skyward Sword introduced Fi, the companion that stops you every 5 seconds to tell you about every little detail.  She tells you how to use all the buttons, how to kill every boss, how to get every item, how the thing you're about to go into is a temple (OMG NOWAI!), and other little obvious things.  And once again, an instrument was implemented in the form of a harp.  However, unlike previous games, this was by far the most simplified instrument, and shouldn't be considered in the same category.  You're restricted to "strumming" (meaning moving the Wii mote in a "flowy" motion left and right) and doing that for EVERY song.  In the right situation, it'll play the song you want, and you don't get a choice otherwise.  Songs were only ever used for story progression and random walls that would give you items.

Did you just skip over Minnish cap?
Other than your glaring area I do agree with you... Bigger more well known studios have to edit their games to have longer and longer tutorials and more constant reminders of how to play the game. Course they get stuck in this little loop. Like fucking everybody knows what I'm talking about when I say "Hey Listen!" And everybody knows that shit is annoying. On the other hand if it wasn't there people might've gotten frustrated at the game and been unable to play...
It's pretty shit... I remember being dropped into that original map... I remember just figuring shit. I really like it. Doesn't happen anymore though.

I am currently doing an EU4 game as Brandenburg > Prussia > Germany on Ironman. It's really fun to date.

Ironman makes it so you can't save scum which means you have to deal with whatever happens. I quite like this. I had a successful debut with taking my Neumark core from the Teutons helped by quick alliances to Poland, Austria and Bohemia and marriages to both (I knew Poland would betray me after taking Danzig so I didn't marry them). After that, I did the Pomeranian succession mission, took Hinterpommern for myself and vassalized the rest of the country. I used Hinterpommern to fake a claim on Danzig (still Teutonic) then sold it back to Pomerania. I declared again on the Teutonic Order, my allies came forward again, so I took Danzig and vassalized the rest of the country. I gave Danzig to Pomerania. In this way, they would core it for me and when I annex them, I would regain the province (and Hinterpommern) without spending any admin points.

Poland betrays me and starts hating me as expected. They are allied to Denmark, who has integrated Norway and is still in a union with Sweden, and they have a union themselves with Lithuania. Polithuania is already really strong, and so is Swedenmark. The two together are scary indeed. They declare on me and the only ally that joins me in defence is Bohemia. I only have my two vassals and the Czech pornographers in my corner. With Austria, this could have been winnable, but we're now totally screwed. Thanks a lot Austria. They make short work of our armies and land about 50-60k troops (this is before 1500, so that's a lot) to carpet siege us. I make a quick peace, giving a Bohemian province to Poland and cutting my Teuton vassal. I also give them all my money and 10% on my future earnings for 10 years. God damn it.

To make matters worse, somehow my truce with the Teutons is longer than theirs, so I can't revassalize them right away. They invade the Teutons, Denmark taking most of the Baltic coastal provinces and Poland, the rest, while I look in horror. Ostpreussen, a province I need to form Prussia, has been taken by Denmark, who looks well on her way to integrate Sweden and form Scandinavia. I can't compete with them and my allies now rarely join my wars, declaring wars on their own. I almost restart, but I fight on.

I integrate Pomerania into my country. To expand, I decide to face the other way : West instead of East. German provinces are quite rich so I surmise that this will help my fight against the Northern bastards and the Kielbasa fuckers. I take a few, going as far as Stade. I do my utmost to maintain my alliance with Austria, so they don't hate me for annexing HRE members. The Hansa is very very powerful somehow and I can't take it, so I unfortunately have to skip Lübeck. I force a new one with France, along with a new one with Muscovy.

Checking back on Denmark again, I notice that Sweden finally declared its independence and is occupying large swathes of Danish territory in the Scandinavian mainland. I let that happen. Poland has lost its union with Lithuania also, but Lithuania is allied with Denmark, along with Muscovy. I'm stuck in another impossible web of alliances, and I fear I can't take advantage of Denmark's troubles...or can I?

Denmark may be allied with Lithuania and Muscovy, but Poland is only allied to Denmark and Muscovy. I declare war on Poland to wage war with Denmark by proxy instead of Denmark proper. As Denmark then cannot call its own allies in the war unless I name it as a co-belligerent, this frees up Lithuania for neutrality at least, or warring on my side at the most, but in no case can it be called to fight me. The caveat is that I have to pay double warscore to take Danish lands, and I want Ostpreussen. France and Austria join me along with Lithuania. Lithuania acts as a bulwark against Muscovy, without which the war would have been much harder. As they are allied with the party on the defensive, it is them that they join and not me. Denmark's army was already ravaged by Sweden, who will become independent during the war, and the Polish army cannot stand against our combined might while Lithuania holds the line against Muscovy. My allies then go fight the Vodka drunks while I siege the provinces Denmark has in the Baltic. I then siege some Polish border provinces. After being done with Muscovy, my allies siege most of the rest. I try to peace out Denmark, but due to the double cost, they don't even want to give me Ostpreussen. Bastards. I siege and occupy their capital to make a point, and they relent. I get my Ostpreussen, then I peace out Poland by taking 3 provinces for myself and giving back the Bohemian core they took last time to Bohemia. Never let it be said that I am not magnanimous. I core the Polish stuff and Ostpreussen. I now have every required province to form Prussia, but I don't have the right religion!

Also, my realm is unfortunately disjointed because the Danish hold Ermland, the single province between my territory and my Ostpreussen exclave. I don't like this state of things.

The Religious Troubles now start. One of my provinces is converted to Protestantism. I am currently in a war where I'm sitting on my ass just not to break an alliance and it's taking forever to finish ;_; however, it finally does, and I change my state religion to Protestant. I convert every one of my Catholic provinces in a short time. Bohemia hates me because I refused a Call to Arms when I had no manpower and barely an army...I wish the AI would stop calling you in when you're already weak. I declared on them because they had OPM allies only and seize a few provinces, but I got gypped on dice rolls and lost. Fuck.

Meanwhile, Demark has regained some Swedish lands, but Norway declared independence and Denmark is having a LOT of trouble with the Religious Turmoils...there are at least 3x30 stacks of Catholic zealots sieging its provinces. However...there is also 2x19 stacks of Teuton nationalists! I fund them to make them friendly then wait. Eventually, Denmark can't stop them and Ermland secedes as the reformed Teutonic Order. They love me a lot for funding them, so I move to ally them to diplovassalize...but I'm yet again in a war I don't care about just to maintain an alliance, so I cannot ally them. Very well, I wait.

Poland invades the Teutons for Ermland while I'm waiting for the other war to conclude. FUCKING KIELBASA DILDOS! I cannot stand by and let them steal my land AGAIN. The AI called nobody to arms because it's just a single province minor, so Poland thought it'd have it easy. It's just Poland versus the Teutons...so I try to enforce a white peace on the side of the Teutons because I knew that Poland would reject, and used this casus belli to jump in defence of the Teutons. Poland now calls in the UK after my joining, but no other ally. The UK attempts a 18 stack drop on Ermland, but I'm there before them and they crush themselves on my now substantial army, thanks to Offensive ideas. The landing malus on their dice rolls extinguishes their stack. Poland attempts to attack me in Ermland, but I beat them back. The UK tries a few more landings but I always intercept them, winning all the battles. The UK finally GTFOs. Poland and I are now out of manpower, but I am richer. I hire mercenaries and destroy Poland's army for good. I then siege provinces near Ermland. It takes a while before the Teutons, the war leaders, sue for peace. They take another Polish province for themselves.

After that, I vassalize the Teutons and this is how my game looks at the moment, including an Europe screenshot. Once I integrate the Teutons, my realm will finally be joined.

My plans are now to take on The Hansa and Bohemia, and perhaps to finish kicking Poland's ass. I will also get Denmark's holdings on the Baltic coast. Since I now have The Goose Step, I will fill the Offensive tree and then take Quality or Defensive to make Prussian OP armies. Since I am Protestant, I can't become the Emperor yet, but I'm hoping a league war will be declared so that I may. Before all of this, I will go down in HRE lands and take the provinces required to form Germany.

Did you just skip over Minnish cap?
Other than your glaring area I do agree with you... Bigger more well known studios have to edit their games to have longer and longer tutorials and more constant reminders of how to play the game. Course they get stuck in this little loop. Like fucking everybody knows what I'm talking about when I say "Hey Listen!" And everybody knows that shit is annoying. On the other hand if it wasn't there people might've gotten frustrated at the game and been unable to play...
It's pretty shit... I remember being dropped into that original map... I remember just figuring shit. I really like it. Doesn't happen anymore though.

using only the console ones as an example

I didn't include any of the handheld games at all.

My intention was to show the progression (or rather regression) of the console games alone.  The handhelds are another story entirely (with Oracle telling you exactly where to go every time you finish a level, MC's companion being a step under Fi, and I don't really like talking about PH and ST in general).

Sorry, didn't see that... My bad...